Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As I read today's CNN commentary by Democratic strategist Donna Brazile regarding the inauguration, I felt a profound sense of pride and emotion. To think that today Barack Obama became our first African American President is a bit overwhelming for me as a black man. With all that I know about the racial prejudices of this country, I never would have thought this day would have arrived in my lifetime. For all, this is a day to rejoice, as quoted by Ms. Brazile below:

"This is the day for which so many prayed, so many marched and so many more sacrificed. This is a day of jubilation and celebration. This is the day to rejoice and recommit ourselves to restoring the American dream for us all.

"For too long, race has been the stain on the American fabric. As Secretary Condoleezza Rice reminded us, race has been our "nation's birth defect." At times during the long primary and general election, race became a subtle distraction -- but the American people rejected it and it was never the primary issue.

"Nor was it the primary issue for Americans who voted for Barack Obama. The vast majority of those who voted for and against Obama did so based on the content of his political prescriptions and platform -- not the color of his skin.

"A lot of lessons were taught November 4. Obama's election revealed the possibility of three new truths for African-Americans: White America may not be as racist as African-Americans thought they were; a solution to our country's lingering racial problem may eventually be found; and the Rev. Martin Luther King's dream that one day all people will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin is alive and within reach."

My company was gracious enough to host a viewing of the inauguration in the company dining room. For the first time, the clamor of silverware and the chatter of those that came there to feast was not heard. As eyes were fixated on Obama eloquently delivering his moving speech, the togetherness of silence unified everyone in the room. Eyes widened, tears fell, and smiles drew themselves on faces glowing with hope. It was a monumental moment, and everyone there was indelibly transfixed. I wonder if anyone else there almost forgot to breathe, because I did. :-)

If you missed the speech, or just want to watch it again, here it is below. Make sure you pause the music playing on the jukebox in the right sidebar in order to hear the speech.

From the pulpit of Tabernacle Baptist Church on Sunday, Rev. Al Sharpton called out the Mormon Church and other conservative faiths for mobilizing to support Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage in California while refusing to be as involved in any other social concerns.

“It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners,” Sharpton told a packed audience on Jan. 11.

“There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you,” Sharpton added.

For Black History Month, and directly after Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday last month, I reflect on what the anniversary of this era really means.

In my adult life, I must admit, I haven’t been all that diligent about celebrating the life of the great Rev. Dr. King. As a child, my parents made it a practice that we do something as a family to pay homage to the life of a great person who sacrificed his life for our sake. Whether we went to a community event or held one at home, we always did something because they felt it was important, no…imperative that we acknowledge; that we not forget and not take for granted what Rev. Dr. King had done for us all.

Today I reflect on what the good Rev. Dr. King has done for me and I only cursorily think of the many marches and protests, the days and nights he spent in jail, the countless meals with his children that he missed advocating on behalf of families in peril and the plethora of articulate speeches that he made in front of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people. These things, I admit, are amazing things.

I find myself mostly in awe of this man’s capacity to give, care, and love. I wonder how many sleepless nights he spent pained at the anguish others felt and needing to do something to alleviate it. I marvel at the strength of his faith, the knowledge he held that if he simply took action, it would matter enough. Somehow, he didn’t let the enormity of the problems he battled paralyze him. I admire, maybe more than anything, that he allowed his purpose to propel him forward, in spite of any fears he may have had, knowing that what he stood for, what he believed in, meant so much more than whatever he may have feared.

During this time, now 40 years after his assassination, I pray we have not come too far to remember the immense love that lived at the depths of Rev. Dr. King's heart; the true essence of AGAPE love that he wished for to the end to our suffering and the lasting of our unity and joy. In the mainstream propaganda and publicity around this man, too often is lost the message that lay at the heart of what his actions all truly displayed. And I don’t mean his efforts to end racial segregation in the south.

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